Router tables

ABSTRACT

Router tables, generally used for woodworking, have fences used to guide workpieces during cutting. The router table has a table top which has a top work surface and a router bit hole through the table top. A plurality of support legs are provided below the table top. A safety shield is positioned above the router bit hole. The workpiece fence has left and right fences which operate independently of each other. The left and right fences slide on the top work surface in a front to rear direction and a side to side direction. A feather flap extends from the workpiece fence and holds the workpiece down against the table top during cutting.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally pertains to power tools for woodworking.More specifically, the present invention pertains to router tables usedwith routers. The present invention also pertains to fences used toguide workpieces during cutting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Woodworking power tools, such as a router mounted on a router table, arecommonly used to cut wood workpieces. Typically, a power router androuter table assembly has the router mounted underneath table with therouter bit facing vertically upward. The router bit extends upwardthrough a hole in the router table and protrudes above the table.Existing router tables have had adjustable fences on top of the table.The wood workpiece can be slid on the table and along the fence toengage and be cut by the router bit.

Examples of U.S. patents pertaining to wood working power tools,including router and router tables, include U.S. Pat. No. 404,233 titledSaw Table Gage; U.S. Pat. No. 727,337 titled Guide for WoodworkingMachines; U.S. Pat. No. 1,664,969 titled Guide for Molder Tables; U.S.Pat. No. 3,101,104 titled Safety Device for Saws; U.S. Pat. No.3,905,273 titled Machine Tool Assembly; U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,164 titledPortable Router Attachment; U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,784 titled Tool TableConstruction; U. S. Pat. No. 4,615,247 titled Anti-Kickback System; U.S.Pat. No. 4,719,951 titled Combination Drill Press, Router and ShaperTable, and Methods of Constructing and Utilizing Same; U.S. Pat. No.4,738,571 titled Routing Apparatus With Dust Extraction System; U.S.Pat. No. 4,750,536 titled Router Vacuum Attachment; U.S. Pat. No.4,884,604 titled Guide Fence and Mitre Guide Assembly for RouterMounting Table; U.S. Pat. No. 5,00,237 titled Jointer Cutter Guard withFeatherboard; U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,257 titled Woodworking Machine; U.S.Pat. No. 5,025,841 titled Multi-purpose Support Table for a Router; U.S.Pat. No. 5,042,542 titled Router Table Gauge; U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,065titled Auxiliary Drop-In Table Top Power Tool Base; U.S. Pat. No.5,611,378 titled Tilting Router Table; U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,148 titledAdjustable Fence for a Compound Miter Saw; U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,319titled Safety Power Switch; U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,234 titled Router TableAssembly with Microset Throat Plate; U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,079 titledAdjustable Workpiece Support Apparatus for a Compound Miter Saw; U.S.Pat. No. 5,943,931 titled Adjustable Fence for a Compound Miter Saw;U.S. Pat. No. Des 105,621 titled Shaper Table; U.S. Pat. No. Des 248,304titled Table for Portable Cutting Tools; U.S. Pat. No. Des 273,195titled Power Tool Table; U.S. Pat. No. Des 334,388 titled CombinationBench Router and Shaper; and U.S. Pat. No. Des 343,846 titled RouterTable.

Existing router tables and other wood working power tools have includedfences for guiding the wood workpieces during cutting. However, existingfences can be improved. Also, existing woodworking power tools, such asrouter tables, can be improved. For example, improvements can be made tohold down wood workpieces during cutting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides new router tables for use with routers tocut workpieces. The present invention also provides new fences forguiding workpieces during routing. The new fences have feather boardflaps which provide support for the workpieces by holding the workpiecessecurely against a table top. The feather board flaps can reduce chatterand kickback.

One new router table according to the present invention includes a tabletop having a top work surface and a router bit hole through the tabletop. A plurality of support legs are provided below the table top. Asafety shield is positioned above the router bit hole. A workpiece fenceis slidably positioned on the top work surface, and a feather flapextends from the workpiece fence.

Preferably, the feather flap is removable from the workpiece fence andcan be inserted in various holes through the workpiece fence. Thefeather flap may have a first portion extending from the workpiece fenceand a second portion extending from the first portion downward towardthe top work surface of the table top.

The router table also has a switch box which has an electrical outlet,and ON/OFF switch with a safety key, and a resettable circuit breaker.The table top of the router table has an exhaust hole for removingdebris during cutting of the workpiece.

The workpiece fence has a left workpiece fence which is independent of aright workpiece fence. The left and right workpiece fences have a fencebase which is slidable in a front to rear direction on the table top. Afence front is mounted to the fence base and slides in a side to sidedirection.

One fence system for guiding a workpiece according to the presentinvention includes a fence base having a left front edge portion spacedapart from a right front edge portion by a gap. A left fence front isslidably mounted to the left front edge portion of the fence base, and aright fence front is slidably mounted to the right front edge portion ofthe fence base. A feather flap extends from at least one of the left andright fence fronts.

Advantages of the present invention may become apparent upon readingthis disclosure including the appended claims and with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The advantages may be desired, but may notnecessarily be required to practice the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a router table according to theprincipals of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the router table of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial perspective view of the router table ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the router table of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a partial top plan view of the router table of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the router table of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a right side elevational view of the router table of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Although the present invention can be made in many different forms, thepresently preferred embodiments are described in this disclosure andshown in the attached drawings. This disclosure exemplifies theprinciples of the present invention and does not limit the broad aspectsof the invention only to the illustrated embodiments.

One router table 10 according to the present invention is shown in FIG.1, and the router table 10 is shown partially exploded in FIG. 2. Therouter table 10 has a flat table top 12 and four support legs 14attached to the underneath of the table top 12. The table top 12 has atop work surface 16 for supporting a workpiece when routing. Legextensions (not shown) can be attached to the support legs 14, ifdesired. Various mounting holes 18 are provided to mount various routers(not shown) to the router table 10 underneath the table top 12. A routerbit hole 20 extends through the table top 12 for a router bit 22 (FIG.4). The table top 12 has a circular-shaped recess 13 (FIG. 6) in thebottom side and concentric with the router bit hole 20 for accommodatinga disk-shaped adapter plate that can be mounted to a router.

A safety shield 24 is provided to protect the operator of the routertable during routing. The safety shield 24 has a pivot pin 26 on boththe left and right sides of the safety shield 24. The pivot pins areeach rotatably received in left and right eyebolts 28 to pivotally mountthe safety shield 24 to the table top 12.

A front portion of the safety shield 24 is positioned above the routerbit hole 20 and a rear portion of the safety shield 24 is positionedabove an exhaust hole 30 through the table top 12 (see FIG. 2 for theexhaust hole 30). The left and right pivot pins 26 are positioned at therear portion of the safety shield 24 in the area of the exhaust hole 30.Accordingly, the front portion of the safety shield 24 pivots upwardwhen a workpiece passes underneath the safety shield 24. Also, thesafety shield can be pivoted upward to expose the router bit hole 20 andthe router bit 22.

The safety shield 24 has a top, left and right sides, and front and backsides. The bottom of the safety shield 24 is open to the top surface 16of the table top 12. The inside of the safety shield 24 is hollow whichdefines an exhaust flow path from the router bit hole 20—and the routerbit 22—to the exhaust hole 30 for debris from the workpiece being cut.The debris exhaust flow path runs from the router bit hole 20 rearwardand generally parallel to the table top 12, and then downward throughthe exhaust hole 30, generally perpendicular to the table top 12. Theback side of the of the safety shield 24 deflects the debris downwardthrough the exhaust hole 30. A vacuum hose can be connected to theexhaust hole 30 underneath the table top 12 to assist in removing andcollecting the debris.

The left and right sides of the safety shield 24 each have a workpiecepass-through hole 32. The workpiece pass-through holes 32 and the insidearea of the safety shield 24 between the workpiece pass-through holes 32define an open path through the safety shield 24 for the workpiece, asshown in FIG. 7. Portions of two workpiece fences 34 may extend throughthe workpiece pass-through holes 32 as shown in FIG. 3. Some workpiecesmay have a small width and will pass through the workpiece pass-throughholes 32 without raising the safety shield 24. Some workpieces may havea portion that extends upward from the top face of the workpiece, andthat portion may pass through the workpiece pass-through holes 32. Someworkpieces may have a width sufficiently large enough that the workpiecewill pivot the front portion of the safety shield 24 upward to ride ontop of the workpiece as the workpiece is passed by the router bit 22.

The router table 10 also has a workpiece fence system for guiding theworkpiece during routing. The workpiece fence system includes left andright workpiece fences 34 which operate independently from each other.The left and right workpiece fences 34 are mirror images of each other,and each workpiece fence 34 has a fence base 36 and a fence front 38.The fence base 36 has a substantially flat body 40 with two parallelmounting slots 42 that extend in a front to rear direction. Threadedbolts 42 extend upward from the table top 12 and extend through themounting slots 42. Knobs 46 are threaded onto the bolts 42 and are usedto clamp the fence base 36 in a desired position on the top work surface16 of the table top 12. Raised areas 48 may be provided to strengthenthe fence base 36. Other mechanisms can be used to clamp the fence base36 in various positions on the table top 12, if desired.

The fence base 36 has a downwardly extending guide flange 50 along anedge of the flat body 40. The guide flange 50 extends in the front torear direction and slides in a slot 52 in the table top 12 which alsoextends in the front to rear direction. The guide flange 50 and the slot52 restrict the movement of the fence base 36 in the front to reardirection. Of course, the front to rear direction as used in thisdisclosure includes movement from the front towards the rear and fromthe rear towards the front.

An upwardly extending guide flange 54 runs along a front edge of theflat body 40 of the fence base 36 and generally perpendicular to theguide flange 50. The fence front 38 has a slot 56 which receives theguide flange 54. Accordingly, the front fence 38 can slide in a side toside direction on the fence base 36. Fasteners, such as wing nuts 58 andbolts 60 pass through elongated slots 62 (FIG. 4) in a flange 64 of thefence front 38 to adjustably mount the fence front 38 to the fence base36. Referring to FIG. 2, the front edges having the guide flanges 54 ofthe left and right fence bases 36 are spaced apart from each other by agap 55.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the adjustability of the fence system. Wing nuts 58can be loosened to allow the left and right fence fronts 38 toindependently slide in the side to side direction indicated by thearrows in FIG. 4. A reduced height portion 66 of the fence front 38 canbe positioned close to or away from the router bit 22 as desired.Referring to FIG. 5, the knobs 46 can be loosened to allow the left andright workpiece fences 34 to independently slide in the front to reardirection as indicated by the arrows. The fence fronts 38 of the leftand right workpiece fences 34 can be positioned aligned with each other(FIG. 4) or offset from each other (FIG. 5) as desired.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the fence front 38 has a vertical frontworkpiece face 68 for guiding the workpiece. A plurality of holes 70 areprovided through the fence front 38 at the front workpiece face 68. Oneor more feather flaps 72 are removably positioned in the holes 70 tohold the workpiece 74 (FIG. 3) securely against the table top 12. Thefeather flap 72 has a first portion 76 extending from the workpiecefence 34 and a second portion 78 extending from the first portion 76downward toward the top work surface 16 of the table top 12. An end ofthe second portion 78 contacts the top of the workpiece 74 and thefeather flap 72 resiliently flexes to hold the workpiece 74 down as theworkpiece 74 slides along the workpiece fences 34 and under the featherflaps 72. The first portion 76 of the feather flap 72 is substantiallyparallel to the top work surface 16, and the second portion 78 of thefeather flap 72 forms an acute angle with the top work surface 16. Thefirst and second portions 76, 78 of the feather flap 72 have rectangularshapes in cross-section perpendicular to their longitudinal lengths.

Referring to FIG. 2, holes 70 for the feather flaps 72 can be providedat various locations in the fence front 38 to allow for flexibility inplacement of the feather flaps 72. The feather flaps 72 can be used withvarious types and sizes of workpieces due to the various locations ofthe holes 70. For example, upper holes 70 have a higher verticalelevation above the table top 12 than lower holes 70 so that the featherflaps 72 can be used with various thicknesses of workpieces.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the router table 10 has a switch box 80mounted to the table top 12. The switch box 80 has an electrical plug 82extending from a housing 84. At least one electrical outlet 86 isprovided on a bottom side of the housing 84. An electrical ON/OFF switch88 is provided on a front side of the housing 84. The ON/OFF switch 88has safety key 90 which is engageable and disengagable with the ON/OFFswitch 88 to enable and disable the switch 88. A resettable circuitbreaker 92 provides electrical overload protection for the switch box80.

Inside the housing 84, the switch box 80 is wired such that theelectrical plug 82 provides incoming power to the ON/OFF switch 88. TheON/OFF switch 88 is wired to the outlets 86 and turns the power ON orOFF to the outlets 86 depending on whether the safety key 90 is in theswitch 88 and the position of the switch 88. The circuit breaker 92 iswired between the electrical plug 82 and the switch 88 to cut power tothe switch 88 and the outlets 86 and turn off the router or other deviceplugged into the outlets 86 during an overload situation.

While the presently preferred embodiments have been illustrated anddescribed, numerous changes and modifications can be made withoutsignificantly departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.Therefore, the inventor intends that such changes and modifications arecovered by the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:
 1. A router table comprising: a table tophaving a top work surface, and a router bit hole through the table top;a plurality of support legs below the table top; a safety shieldpositioned above the router bit hole; a workpiece fence slidablypositioned on the top work surface; and a feather flap extending fromthe workpiece fence; wherein the workpiece fence has a plurality ofholes, and the feather flap is positioned in a selected hole of theplurality of holes.
 2. A router table comprising: a table top having atop work surface, and a router bit hole through the table top; aplurality of support legs below the table top; a safety shieldpositioned above the router bit hole; a workpiece fence slidablypositioned on the top work surface; and a feather flap extending fromthe workpiece fence; wherein the feather flap comprises a first portionextending from the workpiece fence and a second portion extending fromthe first portion downward toward the top work surface of the table top,the first portion of the feather flap being substantially parallel tothe top work surface, and the second portion of the feather flap formingan acute angle with the top work surface.
 3. The router table of claim2, wherein the first and second portions of the feather flap haverectangular shapes.
 4. A fence system for guiding a workpiece,comprising: a fence base having a left front edge portion spaced apartfrom a right front edge portion by a gap; a left fence front slidablymounted to the left front edge portion of the fence base; a right fencefront slidably mounted to the right front edge portion of the fencebase; and a feather flap extending from at least one of the left andright fence fronts; wherein each of the left and right fence fronts havea substantially vertical front workpiece face which has at least onehole, and the feather flap is removably positioned in a selected hole inthe front workpiece face.
 5. A fence system for guiding a workpiece,comprising: a fence base having a left front edge portion spaced apartfrom a right front edge portion by a gap; a left fence front slidablymounted to the left front edge portion of the fence base; a right fencefront slidably mounted to the right front edge portion of the fencebase; and a feather flap extending from at least one of the left andright fence fronts; wherein the feather flap has a first portionextending substantially perpendicular to the front workpiece face, and asecond portion extending downward from the first portion.